Monday, July 24, 2017

"Take
Out The Poison," the upcoming BBB’s album, will be released August 25th,and this excellent clip is a great run up to it. In
the clip, a man and woman walk separately through the streets of San Francisco.
They could be the duet, but they don’t know it yet. The music is college rock
on its jangly side, very sweet, very nice.

I
got a real kick out of watching this, too, because it reminded me of the one
time I visited San Fran and how much I liked it. City Lights Bookstore, the
famous one, plays a prominent role in the video, and I have some hazy memories
of being in there, and how much I liked it, too.

Sunday, July 23, 2017

R.
Ring’s return to Philly was wonderful, a show I’d been looking forward to. This
time they got to Philly without a hitch. For their gig here back in April,
their van had broken down, and other mishaps, so all of us were very thankful
they arrived this time with no problems.

Everybody
Hits is a batting cage facility that also books concerts, and while it’s tiny,
the sightlines are good everywhere, and it’s very clean and comfortable. The
audience ranged in age and gender and was a very good mix.

The
two opening acts didn’t disappoint. Joe Jack Talcum, a member of Philly punk
icons the Dead Milkmen, and a very nice guy, played the best set I’d seen from
him yet, and he's always good. Straightforward indie folk.

Sam
from Radiator Hospital was next. I’d not seen him with his band, but I’d heard
enough on Philly’s indie rock internet radio station, Y-Not Rock, to know that
I’d like him. Very soulful, great lyrics, very cool.

R.
Ring, who are Kelley Deal and Mike Montgomery, played most of the songs off
their album from earlier this year, "Ignite The Rest," and were damn
good on all of them. They had a new drummer, Roseanna Safos, from Cleveland
band The Goldmines, and she was excellent. While I didn’t catch the title or
lyrics, they played one new song, and it rocked. It’s amazing to hear the
interplay between the guitars and drums; it's their own sound and style of
experimental electric folk, no comparisons to anyone else.

After
the show I said hello. They were happy to see me again. Kelley was thrilled I'd
purchased Breeders tickets, another show I'm really looking forward to.https://www.facebook.com/rringsings

Sunday, July 9, 2017

I’ve
been into Jill since 1995 and "I Kissed A Girl," which is not a cover
of the Katy Perry song. I saw her for the first time at Lilith Fair, and have
continued seeing her to this day. My fandom has stretched across three states,
and many albums, all good. And she’s a blast to see live.

William
Way, named after a 70s Philly LGBTQ rights activist, is a great place for
everything LGBTQ, located in the heart of the “gayborhood,” Philly’s LGBTQ
area. I was thrilled to find out Jill was playing there, and bought tickets
immediately.

She
was great, as usual, and played most of her best known songs plus a few new
ones, just her and a modified backpacker guitar, which she’s been known to solo
on like a guitar hero. She did play a short solo on it this night.

Her
back stories were great, too, like how much flack she got for her song
"America Back" (“When they say they want their America back, well
what the fuck do they mean?”).Another was about a troll, and getting that troll off her back with a
new song. Other stories told of her teen years in Cinnamon Park, taking magic
mushrooms to watch the Battle Of The Bands, with Chicago’s "Saturday In
The Park" as a motif, and making sure everyone knew that the two woman in
"I Kissed A Girl" did more than kiss (“They can have their diamonds,
and we’llhave our pearls”).

After
the show I said hello to Tony, Jill’s longtime webmaster and moderator of her
email discussion group Happytown, named for her song about the joys of Prozac.
Tony's a really nice guy. Then I spoke to Jill, who I’ve known for twenty
years. She loved my anti-Trump shirt. I had a fantastic evening.

The shirt in question. The feminist group Ultra Violet had a fund raiser with this shirt, and it was too good to pass up. More here: https://weareultraviolet.org